The Little Man Who Wasn’t There

If we look at national interest, Indian science has a stake in an open source model of innovation to bring down the cost of products. A knowledge monopoly based system of innovation may end up … Read moreThe Little Man Who Wasn’t There

Bayer Sues The Indian Govt To Retain Its Monopoly Right

  Why is the premier drug regulatory authority in India interested in curbing its own powers by becoming subservient to the decisions of the Patent office. Is this a result of influence that is being … Read moreBayer Sues The Indian Govt To Retain Its Monopoly Right

Intellectual Property Rights Or Monopoly Super Profits

The current controversy on the changes to India’s Patent laws, the resistance to Monsanto’s seed trials and Microsoft’s troubles with the antimonopoly authorities are all aspects of the drive of global MNCs to derive monopoly … Read moreIntellectual Property Rights Or Monopoly Super Profits

Amendment to India’s Patent Act

THE Indian Patents, (Second Amendment) Bill has finally been passed by both houses of parliament. The passage of the Bill brings down the curtain on a long and contentious debate in the country regarding India’s … Read moreAmendment to India’s Patent Act

The Bt Cotton Controversy A Leap Into the Dark?

SOMETIME in late 1998, Monsanto — the US based multinational corporation — was tipped off by a call to its (now defunct) freephone “sneak” line that Percy Schmeiser, a 68-year-old Canadian farmer was growing Roundup … Read moreThe Bt Cotton Controversy A Leap Into the Dark?

Owning Our Data The Microsoft Way

There has been a major battle that was fought and lost on Open Document Format, when the International Standard Organisation (ISO) finally accepted Microsoft supported OOXML as another document standard. Initially, ISO had voted against … Read moreOwning Our Data The Microsoft Way

What Ashok Desai Does Not Know About James Watt (or Patents)

WHEN the Mashelkar Committee’s Report was losing credibility for “lifting” the operative part of its report from a submission made to the committee, Ashok Desai, a well known economist and the consultant editor of Telegraph … Read moreWhat Ashok Desai Does Not Know About James Watt (or Patents)

Patent Wars And The Indian Scenario

THE past few months have been quite important for developments in the patents front. Most of the action has come from the US, with the US Supreme Court giving two important judgements on the scope … Read morePatent Wars And The Indian Scenario

Novartis And Mashelkar: Tripping Up On Patents

THE last few weeks has seen some major developments on the Indian Patents Act, as amended in 2005. One is the challenge by Novartis of Section 3(d) of the Act, which addresses what is not … Read moreNovartis And Mashelkar: Tripping Up On Patents

Intellectual Property Rights: Who Benefits?

THE debate on amendment of India’s Patent Law last year centred around the need to align our domestic laws in accordance with the TRIPS agreement in the WTO – i.e. the agreement on “Trade Realted … Read moreIntellectual Property Rights: Who Benefits?

Subverting The India Patent Act

THE Indian Patent Act was amended by the Indian parliament in March 2005, and due to the sustained pressure from the Left many problematic provisions of the Patents Ordinance issue by the government in December … Read moreSubverting The India Patent Act

Patents Amendments & The International NGOs

THE criticism emanating from the global activists and international NGOs regarding the Indian Patents Amendments Act seems to lack certain clarity. Are they arguing that India should have rejected unilaterally the flawed Trade Related Intellectual … Read morePatents Amendments & The International NGOs